ABSTRACT
When you are checking a print, scratches may also become apparent. They can be a serious fault and a difficult one to remedy. First check that they are not on the print itself. When you have run the print right through, wind back to the scene where you saw the scratch and hold it against a strong light slightly bending the film. You will see the physical marks of scratches on either base or the emulsion side of the material. Bend the film slowly, letting light fall directly across it until you can see the scratch marks. If they are on the print this method of testing will find them. If the original is scratched they will be much more difficult to see. Scratches are always a problem to remedy. Print scratches are often best remedied by re-printing. If a scratch is on the base side of the original, polishing may remove it. If on the emulsion side it will be more difficult to get rid of, though polishing can sometimes prove effective. Ask the laboratory to check the scratches and to investigate the possibilities of polishing them out. Emulsion scratches are often impossible to remove.
